Month: September 2011

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Coastkeeper has launched a new program to combat urban runoff in San Diego: Pollution Patrollers.

In the new initiative, a team of trained volunteers will search for sources of pollution in San Diego County that contribute to urban runoff. Commonly cited as the number one threat to water quality in San Diego, urban runoff contains pollutants such as oil, grease, pesticides, metals, bacteria and toxic chemicals that wash into the region’s waters during rainstorms and over-irrigation.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) president Michael Peevey has issued a ruling ordering San Diego Gas & Electric Company and two other utility companies to allow consumers who don’t want a “smart meter” installed to place their names on a delay list, pending the outcome of upcoming workshops on the issue.

The United Food and Commercial Workers have voted to accept a contract offer from the “Big Three” grocery chains – Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons – ending the specter of a costly strike.

Employees in the San Diego region cast ballots Friday and other locals voted today, with an overall majority voting in favor of what their leaders described as a fair deal. The contract ends a two-tiered system in which new employees paid more for their health benefits.

Monday afternoon Coalition will urge Council to keep Miramar Landfill public

From onlineCPI.org

Community groups will be out in force Monday to tell the San Diego City Council to keep Miramar Landfill under public control.

“It’s becoming clearer all the time that contracting out the landfill is a bad idea,” said Clare Crawford, CPI Executive Director. “There are just too many risks for taxpayers, our environment and the services every household and business relies on.”

The Council is scheduled to vote at 2 p.m. Monday on moving forward with Mayor Sanders’ proposal to put the landfill operations up for bidding by private companies.

UPDATE: 100 plus Arrested – Come Inside for More Updates

Things have changed drastically at the Occupy Wall Street encampment and demonstrations. There’s been a crack-down by police. Mass arrests, peaceful demonstrators pepper-sprayed. Arrested people – some injured – having to sit in a police van for hours. Over one hundred plus people have been arrested including members of the the Live Stream Media team that has been providing a stream. The major media blackout continues.

COME INSIDE FOR THE LATEST DETAILS AND INFO OF Occupy Wall Street

In the continuing effort to counter the Main-Stream-Media blackout of the Occupy Wall Street protest we present a gallery of images taken yesterday (September 23) by David Shankbone and originally posted on flickr.com.

We support the efforts of the people occupying “Liberty Park” and people like David who have helped bring the story to the American public. Thank you.

See inside for all photos…

Editor: The protests in and around Wall Street in New York City are still going on, and have now entered their eighth day. “Occupy Wall Street” efforts have now been endorsed by three unions. Here is a report by Chaz Valenza who has been monitoring the demonstrations. There have been between 150 and 250 people occupying and sleeping at a park a block from Wall Street, which they have re-named Liberty Park.

A four-unit apartment building on the 5100 block of Long Branch Avenue in Ocean Beach has sold for a cool million. Although originally built in the mid-seventies and since re-stuccoed, this 3-story building is quite unique, as it was designed and constructed by Rob Quigley, San Diego’s famous architect. Quigley is more known for designing San Diego’s new central library currently being built downtown.

I woke up Wednesday morning feeling a bit of dread, kind of knowing that a man, who might be innocent, could end the day dead.

I decided to find as much humor in my day as I could. After unfolding my paper the word RELIEF in caps jumped out at me and lead my eyes to a photo featuring a tearful navy petty officer enjoying his newly arrived freedom to simply be who he is.

I chuckled to myself thinking how gays and lesbians can now, like us straight folks, “ask and tell” constantly, regularly, instantly. I mean we heteros can’t wait to be asked “How was she?” And we love to answer all braggy: “Hey, man, I took care of the B-I-Z!” And the woman responds to “How was he?” with: “Well, he pretty much went on without me.” But, finally: equality.

There are growing rumors that the fabled coffee-giant Starbucks will soon be kicking out its “laptop hobos” – you know those people who buy a cup of Starbucks and a muffin, then flip open their laptop and curl up in their chair for the rest of the day.

Over 30 regional civic, health, labor, environmental, faith and business organizations have joined together to stage San Diego’s response to the 350.org call for an international day of action for climate change on Saturday, September 24, 2011. Hundreds of similar events all over the world will be held that day with the goal of sending a strong message to elected leaders that climate change is real and will dramatically diminish the quality of life, prosperity, and happiness for current and future generations.

By Brittany Bailey / Special to the OB Rag

Since the OB Rag’s article on the Dumanis Fundraiser on Del Monte in Ocean Beach created such controversy, I decided to stakeout the event and report on any protests that may arise. Nothing says ‘political espionage’ more than a college student facebooking in a mini cooper.

If I were the kind of person who stereotypes (and I am), I might say that at a liberal fundraiser, I might expect to find an offering of free abortions, a justice of the peace presiding over same-sex marriages, and guests using the smattering of hors d’ouvres to make sandwiches for the homeless. I wasn’t sure what to expect at a conservative’s fundraiser– maybe a politician accepting monetary donations in exchange for political patronage? Oh, wait….